Suspended In Time

I know there has been a bit of a delay, but there has also been a lot to do. My jury duty date came and went, I was excused before I even had to go, so no juicy murder case for me. Tomorrow is my eye appointment to get new glasses, so I have to get to bed early tonight. We've been online gaming a lot, so lots of late mornings. We also lost three of our four goldfish. The fourth is in the ten gallon quarantine tank until I can thoroughly clean the big aquarium. Poor lonely feller.

But before I could update you, I had to contact some people first, like the owner of Phoenix & Dragon and also our officiant, Nan. Now that that is done I can let you know that we are having to postpone the wedding. Simply put we didn't give ourselves enough time. I don't know about my affluent readers, but on our budget, four months was not enough. The point is that we are moving it, not forgetting it. Plus we have a great head start.

We haven't really discussed a new date yet, what with the series of deaths that hit us, but I thought that January 23rd sounded nice because it would be 1.23 which would be easy to remember. That's an additional five months, so maybe. I have no problem having a Spring wedding, except it seems to me that would be a very busy time. Candace Apple, love that name, the owner of Phoenix & Dragon, is very amenable to our moving the date. Our honeymoon reservations are also changeable.

Once we have the date I'll announce it and the ball will start rolling again. I am already more confidant this time because of all the planning that's been completed. Almost eight years together and our love is still strong, so this is not a bad thing. It's just the biggest change yet, and kind of scary, which is why I've been afraid to share.

Who knows? This might be just what we need to add a few bells and whistles. Oooh, Spring could mean short sleeves and we can show off our tattoos!

The Proposal

At this point I am really beginning to feel the crunch. This is a busy time. I have to drag my ass to the records office for Dekalb county so I can then go to the DMV to get an unexpired license. My jury summons notice is for the 19th. Next month I have the premier of the new season of Doctor Who as well as a special 3D theater event a few days before. I also have not just a regular doctor checkup but also my quarterly Psychiatrist visit.

Everything we ordered has arrived. Saturday morning UPS knocked on the door. Next shipment I'm putting a notice on the door to leave the box instead of knocking until I answer, like every other driver, instead of waking me up. Scott has been working 3rd shift on the weekends. She never gets a signature and it's this one driver who annoyingly does it.

So what I didn't know is that also on Saturday the quill pen for our guest book was delivered in our mailbox. I just went to get it, but haven't opened it. The other package was items for the reception/favors. Without being able to order anything right now, with still so many decisions to make, I more and more ponder when would be a good time to mitigate our damages. I simply don't know if it's going to get done or not, and if not then why not just plan for the big "E" and quit spending money that could be used elsewhere in our lives. If we did, we would already have things we'll never use, why collect more?

There's another issue that has me bummed. I mentioned it last posts about not having discussed it with everyone. Well, I still haven't because I just haven't got a clue as to how to handle it. It deals with the person performing the ceremony. Again, it comes down to money. Maybe if we cut the reception, since most of the money is going there, and it's less than 3 months from now. That could be a sort of "E"2.0

I'm too tired to think about it right now, but something nice did happen over the weekend. Another niece (sister of niecezilla) and Andrea stopped by for a visit. We hadn't seen each other in a while and she's 15 now so it was a bit awkward and nice at the same time. She's more a person now than kid. The great news is that she may be in town for the wedding. Crap, that reminds me of the invitations.

I am bound and determined to end this on a positive note. Okay, got it. I'm going to share an episode from one of my all-time favorite comedies of all time, The Vicar of Dibley. Dawn French plays a vicar in a small village filled with morons and lunatics. Their last season was a series of specials where Dawn's character finally finds love. Another time I will share the wedding episode because it's just priceless.

So, this is my favorite TV proposal. Besides being sweet and heartwarming, it's hilarious to watch the confusion build until clarity finally comes to her as to what's happening. The reason I'm sharing this particular episode is that I introduced Scott to this show not long before he proposed to me, and when he did, I did my impression of Dawn doing her impression of Emma Thompson from Sense & Sensibility. Give it a go, it's a fantastic show, and a peek into our engagement.

Brace Yourself Effie - Part Two: Location, Location, Location

Well, this is the big moment and I'm not going to drag it out any longer... We have moved the location of the ceremony from Piedmont park to the sacred space behind Phoenix & Dragon. (told you I left something out)

This is great news because, among other reasons, the parking will be soooo much better than at the park. Also, the space is reserved, unlike the gazebo, so I can relax about that. It isn't even going to cost any more than the park! It's more central to all guests. Handicapped accessible (how you doin' dustin) with some benches, and they are even going to hold a room inside in case it rains, but I can't.. wait. One last time, then I have to stop saying this before I jinx it. I can't remember the last time it rained on Halloween.

The best part is nothing else has to change (although there's one issue I'll discuss after it's been discussed with all parties)

OH, I haven't told you yet. We got the handfasting cord in the mail! It's gorgeous.

Here are the pictures of the space I was holding back. It's petite and bijou, as far as weddings, but perfect. Funny thing is, this was Himself's first choice, I just didn't think it would be feasible, boy was I wrong.

Remember the lighter tree on the right, with so much trunk showing

On the right side there is a path

The bridge at the path leads to where she wants us to park

I do have one closer spot at the store reserved for a special guest

A nice "Wedding" sign I found will go here, too

The path is gravel with a small bridge at the corner

Wheelchairs can enter through the store and onto the deck

The bridge crosses a small pond with trickling water

Then a slate path to this side of the deck. You can see one of the benches

The ceremony will be to the right, which is raised

The rest of the deck, procession space, etc

There is that big tree from before

This is that raised space where we will stand

Not sure what we will do with the birdcages but she said to tell her if we want them

I haven't even begun to think decorations

When I took this I had no idea there were fish in it. 

This is between the bridge and where we will stand

So there you have it, folks. The biggest change so far is easy peasy. Ha! except we have to order new invitations toot sweet so they can immediately go in the mail. An acceptable loss, and now we have the old invitations to reminisce about with our grandcats.

The topper was on our journey home, at the transfer of the buses. I spied someone prancing through the intersection and chuckled until I realized who it was. Baton Bob is an institution here, prancing through Midtown in short shorts, flouncy or sparkling attire, and usually some type of fascinator atop his head. The constants are his baton and whistle. Leading a marching band of one, he bestows good will on motorists and pedestrians with his twirling skills and model poses. I had never seen him this far into Buckhead before, and it was the closest I've ever gotten to him.

Baton Bob recently got married, and like the antithesis of a black cat crossing our path, I see this as a good omen for our nuptials.

Brace Yourself Effie - Part One Supplement: What Is Phoenix & Dragon?

To simply say that Phoenix & Dragon is a metaphysical bookstore does it injustice. They have been an Atlanta area institution for self-help/spirituality/empowerment for as long as I can remember. In addition to products like crystals, candles, incense, books, statuary, jewelry, essential oils, and gifts, they have classes and psychics and cats wandering the floors. The store always smells awesome and is such a tranquil store in which to shop.

They truly have something for everyone, from Christianity to Buddhism to Wiccan, as you can see by the pics I took that doesn't do their inventory justice.

DISCLAIMER: Phoenix & Dragon Bookstore have not compensated or even asked for my endorsement of their store. Besides the big news, it remains the best location for locations of this type, in terms of both supply and prices.

The pictures you are about to view may or may not represent your personal visual experience you have when you visit the store.

Dancing lights greet you

That broom is everything

The good, the bad and the smelly

More candles? Sure

Pick a gem, any gem

So, you might be wondering now more than before what in the world this store has to do with the big announcement. It's possible I've left something out. Find out at 5pm Eastern time!!!

Brace Yourself Effie - Part One: The Tease

The big announcement I've been teasing is coming today in part two of this post at 5pm Eastern time. Let me go back to Monday and lead you to the scene of the reveal. We got up late because we started playing DC Universe Online again and I set my alarm for 12am not 12pm. Without my usual 2 hours to wake up fully, things began normally with the exception of attempting a force wake.

It had the potential for a good day, so it was easy to ready ourselves for our two-bus journey.

This is how we roll on the bus

We traveled through Buckhead, after crossing to the right side of the tracks, and enjoyed the new look that it took them years of construction to complete, with beautiful results.

After disembarking on Peachtree at Piedmont, we waited for the second leg of our journey to begin.

My other kitchen is a Porsche

The next part of the trip took us to Roswell road where we switched to suburban view. It's not a bad trip, and it brings us to one of our favorite places to shop, or even just browse, Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore.

This is where I leave you wondering how this plays into a big wedding announcement until part two at 5pm. Ain't I a stinker?

I Am Groomzilla, Hear Me Roar

Hi! i'm Groomzilla, and I'll be co-hosting for the next 90 days covering any problems or stress I'm experiencing. You won't always notice I'm here, but when you do, you will.

Last time I mentioned some possible news, which is still in the works, but could prove to be the biggest change so far. There's a lot that applies, calls to be made, plans firmly cemented, but trust me this is big. Like, maybe order new invitations big. Which cuts my turnaround time seriously, especially since I should be mailing them now. I will furnish you with one more clue, which may or may not be literal.

The boxes that came are nicely made. The ring box is a little larger than I thought it was, but that's not even an issue. Fiancee mentioned there was no way for the ring to stand up. Shows how much I was thinking, i was just going to chuck them in. It's velvet lined. So I thought about it and it's nothing a small piece of foam and scrap of velvet won't fix.

Speaking of, Himself is off today and tomorrow so maybe a few things can get decided, like cake and/or food. I'm still loving the idea of cupcakes with a small cake for our topper. And to cut. Ooh, I need to show him the frames I found for the guest page.

That reminds me. I got a new idea for what to wear. Need to run those ideas past Scott, too, so we can have that settled. Oh my god, so much isn't settled.

I'm very tired today. I got to bed late after doing practically nothing, then at 930 I gave up on the incredible shrinking bed space and got up. The gay couple downstairs were at it early. Screaming, not sex. I think the sex might be when it sounds like someone's being thrown against the walls.

Did I mention I'm bipolar? Had it for ages. Been on meds and now I just have to ride the waves. It's making it hard to maneuver this process. Daily I can slip into despair over whether or not we can pull this off. Just as easily I can get over excited and make a wrong choice. To be a Groomzilla, strong potential i have.

That's it. Time to remove myself from this cat and move around. Also time for some hot, city-fresh air as I go get sugar. Scott probably won't be up for a little while so I can do that and then either read or write. Hopefully both today.

In summation...
Big development coming
2 days of couples planning
I'm up and down, so be wary of Groomzilla